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First Hours After Birth: Skin-to-Skin, First Feed and Newborn Checks

What usually happens in the first hours after your baby is born, and the checks and treatments offered in the first days.

Before you use this guide: This is general educational information, not an individual medical assessment. We do not identify a clinician reviewer on this page, so please confirm personal health decisions with your doctor, midwife or paediatrician.

The first hours after birth are often called the golden hour: a time for you and your baby to meet, settle and begin bonding. If you are both well, routine checks can usually wait until after this first cuddle.

Skin-to-skin contact

If you and your baby are well, your baby is usually dried and placed on your bare chest, covered with a warm blanket. Skin-to-skin contact helps keep your baby warm, steadies their breathing and heart rate, and helps breastfeeding get started. A partner can do skin-to-skin too, which is especially useful after a caesarean or if you cannot hold your baby straight away.

The first feed

Many babies show feeding cues within the first hour, such as moving their head, licking their lips or bringing their hands to their mouth. Your midwife can help your baby find the breast and latch. If you are formula feeding, your midwife will support you with the first feeds.

Cutting the cord

Many health organisations recommend waiting at least 30 to 60 seconds, and often longer, before clamping the umbilical cord when mother and baby are well, because this gives your baby extra blood and iron. If you have a preference, put it in your birth plan and talk it through with your midwife.

Checks and treatments you may be offered

• A quick check of your baby's colour, heart rate, breathing, muscle tone and reflexes (the Apgar score), usually at one and five minutes after birth
• Weight, length and head measurements
• Vitamin K, given as an injection or sometimes by mouth, to prevent a rare but serious bleeding problem in newborns. You can ask questions and decide with your midwife or doctor.
• Depending on where you live, eye ointment and a first hepatitis B vaccine may also be offered.
• A full newborn physical examination within the first few days, including the heart, hips, eyes and genitals
• Hearing screening and a blood spot (heel-prick) test, usually in the first week. Timing differs between countries.

Looking after yourself

You may feel shaky, hungry, emotional or exhausted. Ask for food and a drink, and for help to wash, go to the toilet or move around. Tell your midwife if you feel dizzy, are bleeding heavily or have pain you cannot manage.

If skin-to-skin is not possible straight away

Sometimes mother or baby needs medical attention first. Skin-to-skin can usually start later, even hours or days after the birth, and still brings benefits. Bonding is not a single moment. It grows through the weeks of feeding, holding and caring for your baby.

This content is for general information only and is not medical advice. Every pregnancy and every baby is different. Always talk to your doctor, midwife or paediatrician about your own situation, and seek urgent care if you are worried.